Annie's Master of Ceremonies

ASIFA has found its host.

BURBANK, Calif. (November 15, 2013) – The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced today that TV, film and voice actor, Patrick Warburton, will host the 41st Annie Awards on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. With his squinty eyes and hard-boiled detective's voice, Warburton's humorous personality can generate laughs with almost no effort, whether onscreen or in voice-overs. “We are really excited to have Patrick hosting this year’s ceremony,” said ASIFA-Hollywood President, Frank Gladstone. “With his love of animation and deadpan comedic style, we know he will keep the show lively, funny and very
entertaining.”

Warburton quickly became a popular semi-regular in the hit TV series Seinfeld, involved in a running joke about his frequent breakups and reconciliations with Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). He stayed with the show until it finished in 1998, and provided the voice for Superman in a series of commercials with Jerry Seinfeld. He has contributed his memorable voice to characters on the animated shows Family Guy, Hercules, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and as sorceress Yazma's (Eartha Kitt) not-too-bright thug assistant in Disney’s feature, The Emperor's New Groove (2000).

In 2001, Warburton signed on as the star voice of the Fox sitcom The Tick, about a muscle-bound but dimwitted superhero in a blue costume. High-profile projects in 2002 included a role in the delayed ensemble farce Big Trouble and as Agent T alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in Men in Black 2. By now, Warburton had become an in-demand voice actor working on a variety of projects including TV series like The Venture Brothers and Family Guy, as well as movies such as Home on the Range, Chicken Little, The Wild, and Bee Movie. In 2007 he started on a successful seven-season run with the prime-time sitcom Rules of Engagement, and in 2012 he appeared in Seth McFarlane's directorial debut, Ted. In 2014, Warburton will lend his voice talent in the new Peabody and Sherman film and also Planes 2. ...

One of my favorite voice actors. Mr. Warburton is hysterically funny in a great sketch on Funny ofr Die (see it here.)